Thread regarding Ford layoffs

Bill Ford agrees: customers like EVs as much as they like the COVID vaccine

And he acknowledges Tesla is more valuable than Ford. For once, Bill isn’t wrong.

In an interview with the New York Times, Ford Motor Company Executive Chair and Henry Ford’s great grandson Bill Ford, called the debacle surrounding American car buyer’s adoption of electric cars to be “politicized” and compared it to the undertones surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Blue states say EVs are great and we need to adopt them as soon as possible for climate reasons. Some of the red states say this is just like the vaccine, and it’s being shoved down our throat by the government, and we don’t want it," Ford said. “I never thought I would see the day when our products were so heavily politicized, but they are.”

Ford’s comments are not without merit. President Biden’s push towards electric cars has sparked a reaction from his opponents — namely former President Trump, who skipped a televised GOP presidential candidate debate last month to tell a crowded room of Michigan voters that the EV shift will “ki-l” the domestic auto industry.

“Keep this in mind: The most valuable company that our industry has ever seen is Tesla, and it’s growing.” Ford said. “That’s a very instructive point when people say EVs are not desired.”

Ford’s comments come at a time when the company that shares his namesake is experiencing some turbulence with their electric models. On October 2, the Ford Motor Company (F) - Get Free Report said that some dealer stock orders of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup have been canceled and units returned to the factory for “additional quality checks.”

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Post ID: @OP+1pe5VLro

17 replies (most recent on top)

Looks like both are a factor. Politics can give way to affordability seeing as how a car is the second largest expense the typical consumer lays out outside of a house.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/americans-falling-behind-auto-loan-payments-record-pace

So the bad news is, as if we didn't know it, anything that shoves sell price up widens the gap with the already failing buyer. These days the auction yards are getting busy.

Maybe the new contract can fix this? For sure EV's can right?

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Post ID: @2ute+1pe5VLro

@1xsg+1pe5VLro

Good call on the F series. I'll add another one. The Ford GT. Politicized because it's a product for the haves, not the have nots.

This just shows you how out of touch with reality Bill is. He hangs out with rich white liberals that pat themselves on the back for shoving cr-p down the throats of the little people for the "greater good". "Good for thee but not for me!"

Bill needs to retire. Fade out of sight. But most of all, shut up.

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Post ID: @2zoh+1pe5VLro

@1bov+1pe5VLro
LOLOLOLOL thats funny.
Can anyone list 5 successful actions D Field has accomplished that has created a profitable result. Next to FLV, one of Ford's recent biggest losers!
Would make for a great reality show!

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Post ID: @1wkt+1pe5VLro

Post ID: @1kpw+1pe5VLro

Why would you include Doug Field in your "list"?

Doesn't make sense to me.

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Post ID: @1bov+1pe5VLro

@1qim

As far as politics driving personal consumer behavior, we have the recent examples of Bud Light jamming transgender ideology down our throat and into commercials. Sales tanked. They learned their lesson.

Same for Target.

Many companies backed off the rainbow stuff in their logos and corporate imagery this past June, “pride month”.

Companies have learned from TArget and Bud light.

Also, NHL backing off from rainbow hockey stick tape and uniforms , and backing off of too much Pride stuff.

Just a few examples.

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Post ID: @1kyj+1pe5VLro

So is F series trucks huge sellers in upper east side in NYC? California?
Show that data and break it down into red state vs blue state.

If not why not?

Red vs. blue state?

Yet Tesla sells well in Texas.

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Post ID: @1xsg+1pe5VLro

Pay more + get less range + absorb small risk or toxic uncontrollable fire = hard pass

Pay less + greater range no unusual fire risk = buy smaller more economical car

Red, blue, green opinions may differ on what they'd like to see, as long as the lithium refinery is not in their back yard, but buy it or lease it is all about how much cash they can put into a car and make the mortgage. LOL, just wait until insurance premiums for a car or homeowner policies get adjusted for owning an EV and Katie bar the door.

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Post ID: @1qoh+1pe5VLro

Hmmmm, I've never known politics to drive consumer behavior. Price points, performance, maybe fear of burning down your house... but red vs blue. Hard to buy that premise. Air pump - "smog motors of the 70's and early 80's didn't have a red / blue uptake. Me thinks this doesn't pass the sniff test. Consumers buy, irregardless of their politics, what they can afford, what they believe in and what they feel safe leaving in their garage overnight. Enough people have heard about the fender bender and the "totaled EV" and seen the fire videos. That risk, even if small plus the range thing all for a premium price. That's a tough sell.

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Post ID: @1qim+1pe5VLro

Farley knows that it's impossible for Ford to make EVs and be competitive with Tesla or other EV makers. Ford does not have the talent or the know how. They can only benchmark other competitors. This is the reason why Ford products are 5 years behind the competitors and Ford has so many quality problems.

Instead of fixing the problems, Ford will replace the CEO to make it looks good to the shareholders. It's the same stuff since Mark Fields, Hackett, now Farley. The next CEO will be doing the same thing again.

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Post ID: @1kfg+1pe5VLro

Has Bill Ford acknowledged that his own CEO, in dreaming to become Elon Musk jr, has failed the company in many ways, including thinking that Ford can be Tesla?

Mr. Farley has brought in Former Apple and tech types thinking we can make car tech the same as Apple iPhones. Doesn’t work in the auto industry. You have to serve all constituents, including a good portion of middle age and older customers who simply do not wish to babysit and monitor another tech device in their lives. mr. Farley and his team thought they could get “revenue from data” like Google and Facebook, that hasn’t panned out. Didn’t the Israeli tech-data guy leave.

Mr. Farley has demonstrated utter lack of respect and disdain for ICE engineers (and engineers in general) in public interviews twice in 2022 (February and September). Regarding layoffs, many of them raised their hand in November 2022 to leave and get a severance. Many of those would have stayed the course regardless of interest rates,for they had the passion for their careers in ICE but saw no vision offered by the company going forward.

So Mr. Ford and Mr. Farley failed on the vision and need to re-tool there.

Lastly, woke-ism and DEI is starting to wane. In 2020 Mr. Ford and Mr.Farley took the politically popular and expedient path to instill ESG and DEI into quarterly training plans. 3 years later, society is finding maybe meritocracy has its benefits after all.

So, comparison to COVID vaccine is appropriate. Because after 3.5 years of COVID, we now see what was wrong about so many approaches governments took during COVID. Many people simply are not eagerly taking the new vaccines for the new variants. People are seeing natural immunity is a major part of fighting COVID after all (please see Sweden). Many people do not wish to further feed the COVID-industrial complex.

So comparing EVs to COVID has some appropriate alignments,

Let’s get back to a vision of hybrids for the next 40 years.

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Post ID: @1bxl+1pe5VLro

https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/ford-executive-has-controversial-take

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Post ID: @1clf+1pe5VLro

He only figured out what employees knew years ago now?

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Post ID: @1fiv+1pe5VLro

@jqo

Good plot. Shaun Fain needs to absorb that plot as it is constant decline of domestic autos built here since 90s, trending down.

I wonder if it is total of “domestic three” plus southern plants of BMW, Benz, Honda, Toyota?
Any idea?

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Post ID: @1njb+1pe5VLro

Take a look at the FRED graph and what do you see? Hiking entry price point and heaping on all the not so good EV stuff aint gonna turn this industry around.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DAUPSA

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Post ID: @jqo+1pe5VLro

It’s only politicized if you fail to handle the transition, such as allowing California and NY to ban our very own ICE engine vehicles. You ARE jamming them down the consumers throats, Mr. Ford. You and Jennifer granholm and the extreme leftists in the Biden administration.

A better plan would have been to work up a plan which included hybrid as the core of the plan.

Your products have always been politicized, going back as far and further than 1999 when the leftist media called the Excursion the “Exxon Valdez” of auto lineups.

Keith Bradshaw of NY times called SUVs “stupid useless vehicle” back in late 90s when they became profit machines, like the explorer.

You fail to manage the political side of your job, Mr. Ford. It is your fault.

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Post ID: @dpk+1pe5VLro

Hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.

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Post ID: @bnj+1pe5VLro

Even a broken clock is right twice a day

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Post ID: @ikh+1pe5VLro

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